The Surprises
by Heaven's cry of love
Summary: The success of my four previous chapters made me want to continue the story. These three chapters give insight to Ichigo's conflicted feelings for Orihime and Byakuya's conflicted desires regarding her. This chapter also includes the revival of someone, who can potentially complicate things furthermore for the innocent Orihime.


**Chapter Five: **

The pitch black sky was rumbling. The grey clouds were sitting still upon the desert. The silence was unnerving. It was cold. Life was nonexistent there. It was a normal day in the desert. It had been that way for thousands of years. Survival in this environment was impossible.

Yet something was happening. Suddenly, there was wind. It started to blow softly, but it picked up speed very quickly. Specs of blue reistu were glinting as the wind created a whirling zone. Something strange was happening. Clouds roared in pain. Thunder came crashing wildly. The whirlwind turned in sheer reistu and plunged straight to the ground. Silence was restored. The clouds stopped roaring. The loud thunder disappeared. The sky was back to its empty and tranquility state.

There was no heart beat at first. It laid there dead. Then there was a heartbeat. Then another. His eyes flew open. He took his first breath. He gazed up at the dark sky.

He had been resurrected.

As Ichigo stepped out of Orihime's apartment building into the rain, he thought he felt a strange reistu coming from somewhere. He looked in all directions searching for a hint of something out of order. However, nothing was. The sky let out a low growl of thunder. It was raining hard. Ichigo stood there a second longer feeling for the reistu again, but it had vanished. He turned into the direction of his house.

He was bummed He wanted the talk with Orihime to go much smoother, but things got out of hand. _What was he thinking asking her those questions?_ _Oh God I am stupid_. Although it was hard to admit, he was furious at the thought of Orihime and Byakuya being intimate. That night, he had gone out to find Orihime to run some things by her. As he approached the bridge, he was shocked to find Orihime in Byakuya's arms. An indescribable pain tugged at his heart when he laid eyes on them. It was a different kind of pain. Not one from being wounded. It was something stronger than that. The pain had come from his heart.

Lost in thought, he turned the corner only to collide with someone. Both of them fell down.

"You Moron! You really can't watch where you're going. Goddamn fool" Renji barked the words as he sat up rubbing his head.

"You're the moron, moron" Ichigo scowled like a fox.

"Quiet down. You both are morons" Rukia said as she walked up to them

"He's the moron" Ichigo and Renji said in angered unison. They were in each other's faces as usual.

"I'm sorry, moron isn't the right word. You guys act like you're in preschool fighting over crayons." She chuckled.

Ichigo turned away from Renji to face Rukia and crossed his arms.

"Did you guys feel the reistu?" He said.

Renji's face grew serious."Yeah. Me and Rukia were just around the neighborhood hunting down a lost soul when we felt it and we followed it here, but it disappeared"

"It was strange. It was faint as first and then it went strong and then it disappeared. It's almost as something had come alive after a long time" She said.

All three of them looked at each other. _It can't be_, Ichigo thought. _He had turned into dust._

"No, it can't be Ichigo. He's dead. Besides we couldn't feel his resitu from all the way from there." Rukia tried to assure Ichigo, but Ichigo was lost in thought.

"Ichigo? Did you hear what I said" She asked.

"Ichigo?!" Renji said a bit too loudly.

Rukia broke into a snarl. She got close to Ichigo, raised her fist and punched him in the gut. Ichigo howled and doubled over.

"Hey! What the hell was that for" He chocked out. For a small girl she could punch. Renji started laughing.

"You are a moron. I always thought you were one. You can never pay attention. No wonder we have to save your ass and no wonder you run into trouble all the time. Ichigo you get on my nerves and I swear to god if you don't start pay-". There it was again. The reistu. It was coming from the corner. All three of them ran towards the spiritual pressure. It was much stronger than before. They stopped short in front of Orihime's apartment building.

"Just what the hell is going on" Ichigo said. He had just come from there. Nothing strange was happening when he was there. He suddenly realized that if indeed he was alive, he would see her first. He ran inside the building.

"Ichigo wait!" Rukia called out.

"He doesn't listen, does he" Renji said as he smirked.

Ichigo ran up the stairs as fast as he could. His heart in his throat. _If he hurts her, I will kill him with my bare hands._ He ran down the hall and broke Orihime's apartment door.

"Orihime" He yelled.

"Kurosaki-kun! What is it?" She said as she ran out the kitchen. And she saw a sweaty and panting Ichigo, who had just broken her door.

"Orihime..." _Thank God she's okay. Thank God,_ he thought. Relief swept over him. _She was okay. She was okay_; he kept repeating it over and over again in his head.

"What in the world is going on?" Orihime asked. Shocked and angry that he had broken her door yet again. For a guy who fought hollows and menos, he sure was clumsy sometimes. Renji and Rukia burst through the broken door, swords drawn out in anticipation for a battle.

"Is everything alright here" Rukia asked.

"Yes, everything is" Ichigo answered

"Can somebody please explain to me why I have three Shinigamies in my apartment in middle of the night" Orihime asked mildly irritably.

"Rukia, Renji. The reistu is gone" Ichigo stated. All four of them stared at each other_._

_Just what was going on,_ Ichigo thought and _why had the reistu been coming from Orihime's room. _

**Chapter 6**

"Welcome everyone! It's the annual spring dinner party at the Soul Society. Thank you to all of you for joining us at this prestigious event. We appreciate the effort put forth by the Soul Society's Women's Association and everyone who decided to help make this dinner possible. I hope everyone enjoys their evening. Now where is Ken-Chan?" announced Yarichu. She absolutely enjoyed throwing events for the Gotei 13.

"Over here you fool" Kenpachi said irritated. He hated parties. He felt out of place. That stupid kid had forced him to wear a suit. A suit for hell's sake. He wasn't a man who belonged in suits.

It was the annual Spring Dinner at the Soul Society and everyone had to attend. Not because it was Yarichu who had thrown it, because the old geezer, honorable Captain Yamamoto, had made it a priority. He enjoyed a break from the intense atmosphere that was embedded in the Gotei. He knew everyone; even hard-asses like Kenpachi and Byakuya needed a little break from their duties. Festivities were in full swing. The dinner was taking place in the open court. They would all dine and dance under the stars. Captains with their divisions were all here. The atmosphere for once at the Society was relaxed, happy and the air was filled with laughter and enjoyment.

All division captains were present at the dinner. Captain Utitake, Komamura and Shunsui were hanging out cracking jokes with each other over _sake_. The usual serious Captain Toshiru was actually chuckling at Mastumoto. Zaraki was busy arguing with Yarichu over his choice of suit. Captain Unohana and Myuri were in deep conversation about different methods of healing. Whereas, Captain Soi-fon was with Yoruichi. Rukia, Renji, Ichigo, Orihime, Chad and Ishida were at a table all laughing and cracking jokes.

Byakuya stood in the shadows. The noise was relaxing him. It was always good to take a breather from their hectic lives. He smiled a very small smile. He began to relax his shoulders. Maybe, for tonight he could let loose a little.

Orihime was laughing so hard, she thought her cheeks were going to burst. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves. It was surprising to her also because she had never really seen the Soul Society, especially the captains. let loose and interact with everyone. They looked normal for once.

She looked around her. Everyone had smiles on their faces, even Captain Yamamoto. She glanced at Ichigo. He looked good today. Rukia practically had to force him into a suit for this occasion. He looked like he belonged on the cover of GQ. He was smiling and scowling like he normally did. She couldn't help but think back to the night when he confronted her about Byakuya. It had been out of character for him. But the fact that he cared, made her really hopeful. _Maybe he did see her more than a friend_. The thought made her heart skip a beat. But then there was this situation with Byakuya. The ice man, who had come into her life and turned anything everything upside down. _Speaking of the devil, where was he?_ She stopped herself in mid-thought. _No thinking of Byakuya and certainly no looking for him._ Looking for him meant looking for trouble_. Don't you look for him Orihime_, she told herself. But despite the nagging in her head, her eyes searched for him in the large crowd.

"Inoue? What are you looking for" Ichigo asked her. He had looked over an saw Orihime looking in the crowd as if she was searching for something

_Oh damn_. "Nothing. I just wanted a drink" she replied quickly.

"I'll go get you one Orihime" offered Rukia

"Can you get me one to please?" Said Chad

"Me to please" chimed in Renji

"Sure. Why don't I just become a waiter" Rukia said sarcastically

"You might do better in that field" Ichigo said evenly. Everyone broke into laughter. Rukia walked over to him. Smiled very sweetly and smacked him.

"Good one Rukia" Ishida said as he laughed.

"Ichigo you and your mouth really piss me off". As Orihime watched the exchanged between both of them, she thought how comfortable they were with one another. They had always had a chemistry that she and Ichigo lacked. Ichigo treated Orihime as if she was fragile and with respect. He never really joked around with her, although they were very close. But she suspected that Ichigo was much closer to Rukia. _How could he not be? She lived in his closet after all_. The feeling of envy crept into her. Though she and Rukia had become friends, she was jealous of her being so close with Ichigo. She shook the feeling off. Not tonight.

"Inoue" Ichigo began to speak.

"I'll go get the drinks guys" Orihime said. No one really heard her because they were busy making fun of Ichigo. She left her seat and headed in search for Byakuya. She didn't know why she was going to look for him. She just wanted to see him. To look at him.

She maneuvered in the crowd for ten minutes. People were stopping her, saying hi to her and complimenting her. She did look good tonight. She had a beautiful yellow kimono on with orange and red under tones. Her long auburn hair was pinned up. The kimono hugged her every curve. She felt eyes on her every time she walked. She felt awkward. She didn't want to wear a kimono, but when Ichigo had looked at her and said she looked really beautiful, she decided that she would. For thirty minutes she looked for the man and she had given up. Her feet ached, and she sat down on the grass. _He really hadn't come to the dinner_, she thought. She sighed in disappointment.

"Looking for something" She heard him say. Her eyes had a glint in them. A smile slowly spread across her face. _Byakuya_. The way he spoke had sent tingles down her spine.

She stood up and faced him. Astonishment took over her. He was in a suit. A black pant suit, with a sheer, off -white dressy shirt. She was speechless. He looked very handsome tonight. He looked at her.

His mind was playing tricks on him. It was the same kimono she had wore in his wet dream. His mouth went slightly dry_. Get yourself together_, he thought sternly.

"Well?" He asked after having a moment of flashback.

"Oh…umm…. I was looking for drinks. I was thirsty. So was everyone else. And I offered to go get drinks. So yes I was looking for drinks. Drinks keep me hydrated" she was babbling. When she was nervous, she tended to talk too much.

_What in the world is wrong with her?_ He looked at her funny. He arched his eyebrow a little.

"You just passed the drinks. I saw you. You walked right passed the stand." _What was she looking for? _He was suspicious.

"Oh. I didn't see it"

"Yes you did. You looked right at it, and walked right here" He said quietly.

"Well I was tired from looking for it, so I came here to take a break" _Okay. He had good eyes,_ she thought. _Always observant like an owl._

"What were you looking for" He asked once more. She was lying. It was so obvious that it made him want to smile. _Did she really think he'd believe those pathetic explanations?_

She looked at the ground and took in a breath. She couldn't tell him. She didn't want him to know. She felt his eyes on her. Chills ran down her arms. _Why was she so nervous?_ He waited for an answer. _That's your cue to leave Byakuya. Stay away from this girl_. He turned to leave. Her, in a kimono, was arousing him and he couldn't let her see that.

"I was looking for you Byakuya-sama" She said shyly. Back to her, shock registered on his face. He felt something. Surprisingly, it wasn't irritation. It was of something sweet. It was the feeling of being special. He suddenly remembered. Hisana use to look for him all the time when she got lost in crowds. She would look for him and when he would find her, he would put his arms around her waist and kiss her on the forehead, hold her close and comfort her. He shook thoughts of Hisana away. He needed to get away and now. She reminded him too much of her. _Damn it, why was she here?_ He took a step and she grabbed his arm.

Up until this point, Byakuya had always been the one to physically touch her. But Orihime didn't want him to leave.

She was still holding onto his wrist, when he turned looked at her. Serenity hugged his face.

"What's the meaning of this" He asked with no particular emotion in his voice.

"Don't go Byakuya-sama. I just wanted to say hi to you" She dropped his hand. She looked so innocent. Innocent and beautiful. No, he decided, she looked good enough to take to bed. Blood rushed through his loins. His cock was coming to life.

His gaze was unsettling. It was as if he was looking at her soul. Silence had engulfed the air. Suddenly, it seemed they were miles away from the lively crowd. They were in their own world. He came towards her and touched the strand of hair that had come loose from her bun. She couldn't breathe. He was the king of surprises.

"I dreamt about you the other night. You in this very same kimono. You came to my room in the middle of the night. I asked you repeatedly what you were doing there, but you would not answer. Instead, you went out to the bridge. I followed you. I was going to shake you awake, when you turned to me, with a look in your eyes." He told her in a low, quiet voice, while playing with the auburn strand.

"And what look was that" She asked in a small voice. It was becoming hard to speak.

"The look of you wanting to be touched."

It was like the wind had been knocked out of her.

"Do you know what happened next Orihime?

She shook her head.

"I kissed you and you tasted sweet"

She bought her fingers to her lips as if she remembered him kissing her.

"And then I tore your kimono and you breast became exposed" He said matter of factly all the while running a finger around the outline of her breast.

"You felt good Orihime. Very good." He said huskily. Wetness pooled between her legs. She was acutely aware of it. Desire was stirring in her.

"And then you looked at me and said you were ready in such a seductive voice. I thought I was going to go crazy." He pulled her closer to him by the waist. They were nose to nose.

"I wrapped your legs around my waist. I looked into your eyes and I was deep inside you."

She shuddered at the thought.

"And then…and then I woke up. Sweating and cursing because I had dreamt about the likes of you. And I hated you. But I still wanted you, just as I do right now" He whispered in her ear. She couldn't register what he had said in her mind. He kissed her neck.

"Push me off Orihime. Please push me off. Show me that you don't want me" He murmured. He kept kissing her neck. She was melting in his arms. A small moan escaped her lips. His lips felt so good.

"Do it Orihime. I beg you. I am not strong enough." He sucked on her neck greedily as if it pouring water and he hadn't drunk in awhile. Orihime was lost in her desire. She knew she should push him off, but it felt so good. He bought his face to hers. Both of them were panting.

"Orihime. Say it. Let me walk away. Do it!" He was almost begging. Suddenly, she realized that anyone could catch them. They were only hidden by the trees and the dark shadows it provided. She opened her eyes. His forehead resting on hers. It was hard to fight off the desire. Byakuya's control was hanging on by a very thin thread.

"Byakuya-sama. Please stop." She said shakily. Even thought she had said it, she didn't want him stop.

"You don't want me right Orihime?" He asked urgently

"Byakuya please stop. If I answer that question, we both will end up regretting each other" It was so hard to not kiss him. His hands were caressing her back seductively.

"Look at me" He said in a harsh tone. She looked him obediently.

"I hate you. Stay away from me" Iciness was back in his voice. Gone was the pained expression of lust on his face. As hard as it was to not make love to her right here, right this moment, Byakuya had gathered strength and let go of her abruptly. He turned to leave. Enough was enough.

"You don't mean that. I know you don't" She called after him. He told himself not to stop. If he stopped, she would win. He would succumb to his sexual urges if he stopped. He couldn't do this to Hisana.

"Byakuya-"She said softly as she saw his figure disappear.

"He doesn't hate me. He can't hate me. I didn't do anything to him." She was talking to herself out loud.

"He hates you Inoue and if you think otherwise. You're a fool" Ichigo's voice came from behind.

"Kurosaki-kun. I…I…" She couldn't speak_. Had he seen everything? Oh no. . .no. this can't be happening._ She looked at him and what she saw made her cringe. He had an expression of pain on his face. He was hurting. _She had hurt him_. He looked at her, turned and took off.

"Ichigo! Please stop" She yelled after him.

_What has she done?_

Ichigo took off running. He needed to get away. What he had saw could not be true. _Maybe he was drunk_. He stopped to catch his breath. _What was he running from?_ His feelings wouldn't go away. Running wouldn't undo what he had witness. He was hurting inside. He gasped for air.

Orihime was his best friend. She had always been there for him. As a friend. Questions raced through his mind. _Why was he so jealous? Why had it hurt to see her and Byakuya together? Why had he wanted kill Byakuya right then and there for laying his hands on her?_ The most important question that rushed to his mind was _"Did he love Orihime more than a friend?"_

"Ichigo!" He heard Rukia yell. She stopped right by him. Her purple dress rumbled from the short run.

She sat down to catch her breath. "Fi...Finally he you stopped. Jeez Ichigo what's with you?" She asked as she struggled to catch her breath.

Can he trust her? After all, he wasn't even sure about his feelings for her or Orihime. _Would she understand? _Moreover, this involved Byakuya, her brother. It would be way more awkward to address the situation with her than it had been with Orihime.

"Ichigo why do you look like someone punched the daylights outta you." Rukia inquired

Ichigo couldn't tell her. He could tell her anything in this world, because he knew she understood. However, this time he couldn't.

"Nothing. I thought I saw someone here so I came out here running and why the hell did you come after me anyway." He shot back.

"Because I thought something was wrong. You moron!" She hit him lightly on the arm. Both of them started laughing.

"Hey Ichigo, you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" She asked seriously once the laughter was dying down.

"Of course I would" He couldn't tell her this time. He ruffled her hair and smiled at her. She made him feel good. Rukia reached around him and pulled him into a hug. He rested his head on her head. It felt right to hold her. She fit perfectly in his arms.

"Let's go" She said at last. "They are probably waiting for us". With that, they took off in search for the others.

**Chapter 7: **

She let herself into her apartment. After Ichigo's sudden departure, she had gone back to the table. She was worried about the damage that had been done to her and Ichigo's relationship. She didn't know how he would react when he found her at the table, but when he had returned to the table with Rukia, he had been smiling. He and Rukia were playing around with each other. It was as if they were flirting with each other. After they both had sat down, Orihime discreetly tried to bring up what had happened. She wanted to explain to him what had happened.

"Forget it Inoue. It's your business.' He scowled at her. The words had hit her hard. _Was it her fault this was happening?_ After he had said that, she had put on a façade for the remainder of the night. Ichigo acted as if nothing happened and kept all of his attention on Rukia. By the time the dinner was over, she was fuming inside. The bastard had the nerve to tell her to walk home alone because he was going straight home with Rukia. It was Chad-Kun who dropped her home. Bless his soul. He was so sweet.

She sighed heavily as she leaned onto her door. She shouldn't have gone to Byakuya because now things with Ichigo were going very sour. She put down her bag and headed towards the kitchen. Little did she know she walked right passed the resurrected soul.

As she entered the kitchen, she thought to herself. _What in the world!_ She rushed outside only to find him sitting at her table.

Orihime let out a blood curling scream. He had come to kill her.

She then dropped to the floor. Darkness invaded her vision.

"Woman. Listen I do not know what's wrong with you but you better wake up." She heard faintly as she regained consciousness. She didn't open her eyes. Maybe if she played dead, he'd go away.

_Odd,_ he thought, he was sure he had saw stir a little. _Ahh, the human was playing dead was she now? Okay, so be it._ He left the room.

Relief swept over Orihime. _Yes, it had worked_. She had to hand it to herself, she was a good actress. _Maybe she should audition for the upcoming school play. She could play the role of-._ In mid thought, she felt cold water all over her.

She sat up screaming. "OH MY GOD! How dare you!?" She was angry now. No, she wasn't angry, she _freaking _angry.

"Isn't this how you humans wake people up" He said with his usual frown. What was that? Orihime thought. _Did he just smile at me? Why, I'll be damned, this cold espada had turned to doing comic antics. _

"Ulquiorra-sama" She said calmly. "What brings you here?"

He stared at her. His frown deepened as if he was displeased that she had asked him such an absurd question. He turned around.

"Clean yourself up. When you are done, come into the dining room and I'll answer your questions." With that said, he left to sit in the dining room.

She stood there for second, thinking. _Why hadn't he killed her yet or asked her to call Ichigo over to finish their fight. _Something was different about him. She began to undress herself. She had an espada to deal with.

Ulquiorra had woken up in a daze in Las Noches, Henco Mundo. How he had been revived was beyond his intelligent mind. It had been a miracle. He had wondered around the desert for days. Trying to reprieve his last moments. He remembered how Ichigo had almost killed him in their fight. He also remembered that he had been ready to cut off his arm and leg, when he started to dissolve into dust. It took him days, but he finally remembered his last conversation with Orihime.

That is when he had decided. He needed to see her.

And here he was in her dining room, waiting for her.


End file.
